Switch-point-locking device.



L. J. SHERIDAN.

SWITCH POINT LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11, 1913.

Patented July 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Bnnenfor attorneys .L. 1. SHERIDAN.

SWITCH POINT LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. II, 1913.

Patented July 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

attorneys COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH COWASHINOTON. n. c.

FT FTET LAWRENCE JOSEPH SHERIDAN, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR OF ONE- THIRD TO M. J. CAREY AND ONE-THIRD TO I. R. FLEMING, BOTH OF SCRANTON,

PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITGH-POINT-LOCKING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1915.

Application filed October 11, 1913. Serial No. 794,715.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LAWRENCE JOSEPH SHERIDAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch Point Locking Devices; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in looks for railway switch points and an object of the invention is to provide a positive lock which will hold the switch point closed irrespective of the condition of the stand, the point remaining locked in any one position until the stand is operated for throwing the switch into another position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lock connected to the ordinary stand in such a way that the switchman will not be required to touch any part of the locking device, inasmuch as the latter is connected to and automatically operated by the switch stand.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lock housing secured to the extending ends of adjacent ties and being located therebetween so as to be out of the way, and parts of the lock being made adjustable for convenience in installation.

With these and other objects in View the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

in the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a switch stand having the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan View of the plate used in this invention. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section of the plate shown in Fig. 3 taken on line 4% of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the locking rod. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the trigger for locking the rod shown in Fig. 5, the trigger being located in the plate shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the bell crank associated with the trigger shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the top ofswitch stand showing the handle in lowered position. Fig. 9 is a horizontal section through the switch stand looking down from below the structure shown in Fig. 8, showing the switch point operating mechanism attached thereto.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

This invention aims generally to mount upon a standard form of switch stand suitable levers operatively connected with the rod for moving the rod longitudinally when the stand is operated so that the switch point will be locked and unlocked automatically with the operation of the stand.

In order that the application of my invention to the particular form of switch stand shown here may be understood, reference is to be had to Figs. 1 and 2, where the stand is shown as comprising the ordinary upright 1, the upper end of which carries a table or plate 2 provided on the sides thereof with hasps 3 and a respectively around which is adapted to slip a portion of the handle or arm 5 pivotally connected to block 5 rotating with the'shaft 6, the shaft carrying the ordinary target. A projection 7 depending from block 5 rotates with the handle 5 and is received by one or another of the two sockets 8 formed in the plate 2, these sockets being so placed as to receive the projection 7 when the handle receives one of the hasps. Pivotally mounted within the base 9 of the stand is a pedal 10 fulcrumed as at 11 and having the inwardlv extending end loosely engaging the bottom of the shaft 6, so that when thepedal 10 is depressed the shaft will be raised sufficiently to draw the projection 7 from the containing socket. By unlocking the handle 5 and raising the same to a horizontal position it will be possible by means of pedal 10, to raise the fork 12 of the handle above thetop 13 of the stand so that the target may be rotated to the other position. This much of the structure is old and it is thought will require no further description.

The present invention consists in bolting to the standard a bearing block 1 1 which may be bolted to the base of the stand at a suitable point above the pedal 10. There is rotatably mounted on the bearing block 14 a shaft 15, one end of which is bent as at 16 and extends downwardly and is provided with a substantially horizontal portion 18 provided with a slot 17 through which passes a leg 19 supporting the pedal 10. The

slot 17 is made sufficiently long to allow the 'bent end 16. to rotate when the pedal is depressed. The other end of the shaft is squared as at 20 to receive a complementarily formed socket 20 formed on a link 20 which has connected thereto by means of a hinged joint 21 a rod 22 which extends bethe bent arm 16 to rotate counter-clock-wise so that the shaft 15 will turn within the bearing block14 and move the squared end '20 in such a way as to draw the rod 22 toward the switch stand. The link 20 which connectsthe squared end 20 with rod 22 is of such length as will magnify the movement of the shaft 15 until the proper longitudinal movement of the rod 22 is obtained. Returning to the locking member of the invention it will be seen that the same coinprises the plate 28 having a central portion which is raised to drain water and provided with flanges 31 secured to the tops of adj acent ties and having a depressed portion 32 within which is mounted the turn buckle 26. The central cavity 33 which receives the turn buckle 24 has extending centrally therefrom a slot 34 which extends longitudinally of the length of the plate and communicates with a transverse slot 35 from which extends in the direction of the slot 34 a pocket 36.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 7 it will be seen that the end'37 of the bell crank 26 is provided with a slot indicated at 38 in Fig. 2and at 38 in Fig. 7 within which slides a pin 39 p assing through the lower fork portion of the trigger 1 40 which is slidably mountedwithin longitudinal slot 34 and has an extending end 41 which is so proportioned that the extreme end thereof is always located within pocket 36, although longitu dinal movement of the tr gger 40 will move the extreme end of the trigger back and forth within said pocket. At the base of the end 41 is a step 42 which is positioned to enter the recess 43 formed in the top of the locking rod 4.4, one end of which is threaded to receive a turnbuckle 45. This turn buckle is rigidly connected to a shift rod 46 riveted or otherwise connected to the switch point.

In the operation of the lock it will be understood from the drawings that the handle '5 is in such position as will hold switch 47 locked position and that as the pedal 10 1s 'held 1n uppermost position by means of the springs 49 which surround the shaft or corresponding part of the locking device as shown in Fig. 2, with the step 42 received by the recess 43 in the locking rod 44, the shifting of the rod 22 with consequent withdrawal of the trigger 40 is made impossible by the locking of the handle 5 to the hasp 3 which prevents the raising of the shaft (3 and hence also prevents the depressing of the pedal 10. lVhen the switch point has been thrown as already described by moving handle 5 until the same is locked to the hasp 4, it will first be necessary to depress the pedal 10, which, as previously described, will draw rod 22 toward the stand and withdraw the trigger until the step 42 is entirely without the recess 43. It will be noted that this takes place upon depressing the pedal 10 which must occur before the handle 5 can be rotated, and hence before the switch point can be operated by the switch rod 23. After the handle 5 is locked to the hasp 4 the shaft 6 will have descended and the pedal 10 will have been raised so that rod 22 will be moved away from the stand and the step 42 will now engage that end of the locking rod remote from the threads, the reduced end 41 being received by the pocket 36 to guide the trigger 40 at all times. It is evident that by adapting the invention to the particular form of stand shown that the ordinary movement made to 96 unlock the handle and put the shaft 6 in ing projections 29 so that when desired the bell crank may be pivoted in one or the other according as the device is applied to the left or right hand side of the track. By using turn buckles 24 and 45 it is possible to place the plate in approximately the correct position for adjusting the rod 22 and shifting rod 46 until the same are in proper relation. The recessed or depressed portion 32 of the plate lies between the ties and below the edges thereof, so that the same is out of the way and not likely to have the bell crank contained therein injured. Of course, suitable means may be employed for protecting the bell crank and associated parts, such as a cover secured to the plate and indicated at 48, seen in Fig. 4.

In order to disclose a complete operative construction I have shown my lock, which is claimed specifically hereinafter, as connected to one particular standard form of switch stand, but I wish it to be understood that mechanical devices may be added to other forms of switch stands now in use but not shown in the drawings, for the purpose of reciprocating rod 22. No claim is made to the stand nor to the particular mechanism associated with the stand for reciprocating rod 22, and this particular operating mechanism as associated with the stand is one of a number which may be employed to give the rod 22 the proper motions at the proper times.

In Fig. 2 the member 26 is shown as comprising an arm 37 provided. with a slot 88 the axis of which is parallel to the axis of arm 37, while in Fig. 7 the arm 37 is provided with a slot 38 the axis of which is oblique, with respect to the axis of arm 37.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a switch stand having a vertically reciprocable shaft mounted thereon, and. a pedal pivoted to the stand adapted to raise said shaft, of a reciprocable bar adapted to lie between the ties of a track, a rock shaft connecting the rod and pedal adapted to move the rod longitudinally as the pedal is depressed, a bell crank lever, one end of which is connected to said rod, a trigger operatively connected to the other end of the bell crank lever, and

five cents a locking rod rigid with the switch point adapted to engage said trigger.

2. The combination with a switch stand having a vertically reoiprocable shaft mounted in the standard, and a pedal pivoted to the standard and adapted when depressed to raise the shaft, of a longitudinally movable rod, means to reciprocate said rod as the pedal is depressed and operatively connected to said rod and pedal, said rod moving generally in a direction perpendicular to the track, a bell crank, one end of which is operatively connected to the rod, a locking rod connected to the switch point and provided with a notch adjacent one end thereof, a trigger operatively connected to the other end of said bell crank and adapted to engage said slot to hold the locking rod in a fixed position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LAWRENCE JOSEPH SHERIDAN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM J. FOWLER, MICHAEL F. REGAN.

each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

